Avatar: Reborn in Ice and Blood

"Bow before me!" The phrase is ruined by the subsequent and inevitable "Squawk!"

There is stunned silence.

"Bow, miscreants!" The iguana parrot on top of Circus Girl's shocked head is a colourful thing, red, blue, green and yellow. A lovely animal, really, and throwing out phrases I'd have taught my own parrot.

I contemplate whether I would count myself a miscreant, as I attempt to muffle my laughter. Exhaustion makes it harder to control my reactions, and this is just this side of surreal enough to break my composure.

Azula pushes out her chest indignantly, even as she gathers her wits, and suppresses her emotions.

The reptile bird puffs up his chest in response, and dear Spirits, I can't hold it in any more. I begin to laugh.

What follows is not a laughing matter, unfortunately.

The river carries a vessel downstream, teeming with the vermin that is known as pirates. I should have seen it coming, really. Usually I try not to buy into clichés, but this one was obvious from the very beginning. Now all we're missing is a captain with a twirled moustache and hook for a hand.

There is little I can do, at the moment, except for draw the long dagger I usually keep in my boot. I haven't really fought with a weapon in place of bending in years, and while I used to be proficient as Hahn's sparring partner, on occasion, I was never anywhere near as exhausted as I am now. It's been several weeks since the invasion besides, and I'm out of practise. (How couldn't I be, with Hahn gone?)

Just how much, I will see momentarily.

Predicting our odds, Mai signals the Fire Nation soldiers hidden in the brush. Three emerge, while the others remain hidden, presumably to take the pirates by surprise when they are engaged, and to be certain that once the fighting is done, they will be capable of taking prisoners.

Mai herself looks to be gearing for a fight as much as myself, but seems almost equally as unsuited for combat. I'm not sure that keeping fighters back for later is the best strategy at the moment.

Shock does a number on your system and I imagine the sudden flood of adrenaline either casts the scene in sharp relief, or makes her slightly woozy, as the situation continues to spiral out of control. What impairs her further, is of course the baby-on-board.

A loud war cry rips my attention from the girl, and I find myself engaging a spry man, with daggers for weapons in an exchange of cutting steel and sharp clangs.

As his left hand executes a swift reversal of his grip on the dagger's handle, I attempt to move out of his range, to adjust. He's quicker than I am.

The very tip of his weapon slices open the sleeve of my tunic. It drags a long line across my forearm. It feels like a paper cut at first. Then a burning sensation begins to spread where blood gathers.

My foot kicks out on instinct. Years of sparring serve me well as he staggers back, wheezing. His eyes flash. Even as he struggles to breathe, a mean grin contorts his face into a mask of sadistic victory.

The instant a chain wraps around my torso – pinning my cut arm and yanking me backwards – I realise why.

These pirates must have been fighting alongside each other for some time, and a glance around shows me the futility of struggling any further. Both Mai and Circus Girl have been subdued. They are on their knees, hands behind their backs as they are tied.

Of the soldiers, one lies facedown, motionless not too far to my right. Another is desperately attempting to cover his other fallen comrade as he clutches his… stump of a left arm. A few yards towards the trees lies a forearm no longer attached to its owner.

Near the lost appendage, four soldiers are locked in battle with six pirates, and losing. The reason for it, when usually I would have pegged them as the winners, being trained for close combat, is evidently the earthbender on the pirate's side, who is keeping the attacks of the two firebenders well in check. He's talented and crafty. I admire it, but it's more than just a mild inconvenience, since we're on opposing sides.

Azula herself seems to be… simply tiring herself out. Her lack of control affords her a range of a couple metres of personal space, but she looks to be waning. Lack of proper rest, and constant mental strain is taking its toll.

With a frustrated scream, she kicks up a passable attack, but it hits no one, and with a last stumble and fumble, she too is chained. Yet, even so, she spews fire from her mouth, yelling madly. It looks like they are subduing a rabid animal when one finally manages to hit the back of her head with the pummel of his sword and she slumps to the ground, unconscious.

The baby begins to cry.

The sound draws my eyes to its source. A man of almost imposing stature, with the iguana parrot perched on his shoulder, a captain's hat on his head, holds the baby aloft by the back of his clothes. The imagery is rather amusing, but I find the situation anything but.

Should they decide to slit my throat, I could do nothing about it, even with one arm still free. Helplessness isn't a state I'm used to.

The captain shakes the brat a little, as though he will stop his cries with further discomfort. The action makes me inexplicably angry. Too bad I'll have to stew in it for a time. Before taking it out on the deserving ones. A severe frown pulls the corners of my mouth downwards.

"Give, Ah!" Mai attempts to speak, but her captor yanks on her bindings to silence her. "Give me my brother!"

Her demand is met with a chuckle. The captain's eyes roam over us captured, and the now retreating Fire Nation soldiers by the forest. Satisfaction rolls off of his posture.

"Good work, men! Now bring these young ladies aboard the ship!" His eyes linger on me, but he does not correct his statement.

The crew appears to find me feminine enough, because I'm the first one walked across the gangway. Vaguely, I wonder if I should feel offended. Onwards, into the belly of the ship, to where they have two prison cells that remind me far too much of old pirate films for me not to feel like this is all too surreal to be… real.

They are the picture image of romanticised notions of piracy – outwardly.

...

If I had anything to say about my current situation, it would be that it is self-made. Imprisoned in the bowels of a pirate vessel with inch-thick iron cast shackles around both ankles and wrists that I would have to saw at day and night to free myself from, pressed against damp wooden planks, I have plenty of reasons to reconsider my life-choices.

Usually, I wouldn't be too worried.

However, I now have a child and three teenagers to be concerned about, all of whom I can well imagine being sold into slavery. Human trafficking isn't as big a thing as it was in my old world, if only for lack of means and perhaps even demand in these wartimes, but it does happen.

Of course, it's not as organised and wide-spread as it was in, for example, Lybia, but it is there, if you do take a look. Procuring a slave was and is far too simple, and it makes me shudder with disgust. Then again, most states of affairs to do with dealings below the law's notice and common human mentalities do.

If it were only me, I'm fairly certain they would only either kill me or allow me free, once I promised them something of worth. Since I don't respond well to punishment, and can heal myself, being sold would be unprofitable, long-term. Their contacts would spread the word that their merchandise isn't of good quality. I would have to make these little facts known, but that's easily done. It isn't just me, though, and I'm wondering whether the girl's imprisonment might turn out to be more… humane if they were to be sold.

Rape is not something I would wish on anyone, and all three of them are exceptionally pretty.

At this moment, however, I find them revolting. Circus Girl has slumped on my shoulder, is asleep and drooling a wet patch into my shirt. She also snores. Not only is it irritating, I wonder at her mental faculties.

She should not equate my shoulder with a nice place to rest her head on, after everything I've done to her.

...

Don't forget to throw some power stones :)

...

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